In this section

16. THE PRIORY OF STAVORDALE

Stavordale lies about 3 miles north-east
of Wincanton, and about the same distance
south-east of Bruton. It is a secluded dale
running into the western slopes of the uplands
of Selwood. The origin of the house is not very
clear, and it is difficult to understand the reason
for the foundation of a house of Austin Canons
within 3 miles of the house of the same order
at Bruton.

The earliest notice of the priory occurs in
1243, (fn. 1) when Roger Tyrel gave to it lands at
Shalford, near Charlton Musgrove, and was
received, with his wife Sarah, into the spiritual
fellowship of the priory. In the same year the
prior defended his right to lands at Clayhanger, (fn. 2)
and proved that they were a gift from Christina
Cleyhenger six weeks before her death.

In 1263 (fn. 3) we find the canons purchasing
Cuddlesome (Churchelesham) by means of a
gift of 40 marks from John de Axebridge,
the sub-dean of the cathedral church of Wells,
and, in return, the sub-dean received an annuity
of 30s. and, after his death, the canons were
to continue the payment to the Dean and
chapter of Wells for masses at the altar of St.
Mary Magdalene in the cathedral church.

In 1287 (fn. 4) we find the prior claiming the
advowson of Buckhorn Weston in Dorset. In
1298 (fn. 5) the prior is entered as having encroached
upon lands at Eastrip.

In 1345 (fn. 6) Robert de Mandeville of Coker
granted to the priory a rent-charge of 6s. 8d.
on his land at Buckhorn Weston, for the
support of a chaplain to say mass in the chapel
of St. Andrew at Marsh, near Wincanton, and
to keep a taper burning before the altar of
St. Mary in the priory.

In 1350 (fn. 7) Richard Lovel, the last of the house
of the lords of Castle Cary, obtained licence to
give lands at Priestley, in the parish of Doulting,
to endow a chaplain in the priory church to say
daily mass for the founder.

In March 1374 (fn. 8) Bishop John Harewell of
Bath and Wells confirmed an earlier appropriation of the rectory of Wincanton; the duty of
a resident vicar was laid upon the canons, and
mass was to be said at the altar of St. James under
the bell tower among others for members of the
Stourton family.

In 1442 John de Stourton left three parts
of the manor of Thorne Coffin with the advowson
of the church there for the endowments.

The endowments prove the existence of the
priory, but give us no hint as to its origin.
Undoubtedly it was due to the generosity of
the Lovel family, and it is probable that it was
founded by Henry, Lord Lovel, who died about
1199.

In 1322 (fn. 9) Bishop Drokensford issued a commission for the visitation of the priory to inquire
into the complaints as to Prior Eton's neglect
of its possessions. He was accused of being
wasteful of the goods of the priory, and the
result of the inquiry was that he resigned. In
1361 (fn. 10) Richard St. Maur, son and heir of
Nicholas St. Maur and Muriel, his wife, was
declared patron of the priory, and in 1400 (fn. 11)
he was buried 'in the new chapel of the priory.'
At this time the canons are said to have been
eight in number. The reconstruction of the
conventual buildings and of this church seems
to have been due not to Alicia, the wife of Lord
Zouch and great-granddaughter of Richard
Lovel, but to John Stourton, uncle of the first
Lord Stourton. He left in his will, 1439, (fn. 12)
provision that the church and the cloister at
Stavordale should be completed in all things
and the windows glazed, and that his and his
wife's body should be buried in the middle of
the choir of the said church. The rebuilding
was completed in 1443, when it was consecrated
by the suffragan of Bishop Stafford, (fn. 13) whose
commission was 'to dedicate the nave and the
conventual church of Stavordale with the choir
and chancel which John de Stourton, while yet
alive, had caused to be rebuilt at his own cost,
and to concede to him the right of sepulture in
the said church.'

The priory however was always hampered
by its poverty, and in 1452 Bishop Beckington
granted permission, as Bishop Bowett had done
in 1403, (fn. 14) for one of the canons to gather
alms throughout the diocese on behalf of his
house. Certainly in the 15th century the
number of canons seems to have been reduced
as much as possible, and it would appear as if the
Zouch family had begun to look upon the place
as one they could make their own private house.

In 1526 the will (fn. 15) was proved of John, Lord
Zouch, who, as a Yorkist fighting against Henry
VII, had lost all his property after the battle
of Bosworth Field. He appears in the latter
years of his life to have settled at Stavordale, and
he speaks in his will of his title, interest, lodging
and other ground within the priory of Stavordale. He directs that his body should be buried
within the priory in the chapel of the chantry of
Jesus there, founded by himself, and he seems to
have endowed this chantry with land at Pitcombe and Cole.

In 1524, after the canons had had the benefit
of Richard Crie, a canon of Bruton, as their
prior, they elected in his place William Grendon,
canon of Taunton, and so great was the poverty
of the house that Grendon was able to induce
the remaining canons to apply for the union of
the house with the priory of Taunton. This
took place in 1533 (fn. 16) and six years afterwards
the house fell with the dissolution of the priory
at Taunton on 12 February 1539. Had the
house remained independent it would naturally
on account of its poverty have fallen in 1536.

In that same year, Richard, the son of John,
Lord Zouch, wrote the following letter to
Cromwell, (fn. 17) but he was unable to undo what
had been accomplished two years before, and
the Zouches did not get hold of Stavordale as
their private residence:—

Sure plesyt yor goode masterchipe to underston yt
wer I dwelle ys a pore pryery, A fundacion off my
nawynsetres wyche ys my lord my fatheres ynerytens
ande myne and be the reson off a lowyde pryor wt
was ther whyche was a schanon off Tawnton a for
browytt hytt to be a sell unto Tawnton. Ande now
his hytt dystryde and ther ys but to chanons wyche
be off no goode luyng ande yt ys gret petty the pore
howyse scholde be so yll yntretyde werfor yff ytt may
plese yor goode masterchype to be so goode master
to me to gett me the pore howse wyche ys callyde
Staverdell I wer bownde to pray for yor masterchyp.
And also I schal bere you my harty seruys nexte the
kynge ys gras and be at yor commayndment be the
gras off Gode he ever presserue yor goode masterchype
yor howyne pore seruantt ande bedman Rycharde
Zouche.

We find however in 1548 (fn. 18) confirmation
of this action of the Zouch family in the certificate concerning the chantry in the conventual
chapel which is described as 'the chapel of the
chantry being situate within the said Lord
Zouch's house at Stavordale.'

The 13th-century seal of the house of Austin
Canons at Stavordale (fn. 37) is a vesica, 21/8 in. by
13/8 in., with a full-length figure of St. James the
greater, the patron saint, standing on a corbel,
having in his right hand his pilgrim's staff and
in his left a book. At his side hangs a wallet
upon which is his emblem of a scallop shell.
The legend is:—SIGILL' ECCLESIE S[ANCT]I IACOBI DE
STAVERDALE.